The end brings the beginning
by Fredemar
Summary: Something's going on with Nathan, Duke is send to find out just what. Not telling any more, spoilers! :D  Warning: Character death  DukexNathan  don't like, don't read!


**The end brings the beginning**

1: Impossible

Duke Crocker is on a impossible mission. Audrey Parker, or Sarah, or..whoever she truthfully was, had been dead for five months now, which left an enormous impact on everyone, and seemingly the most on Nathan.

"Nathan?" Duke knocked the door as if he wanted to break down the door with the force.

This had been going on long enough. Neighbors and friends had absolutely no contact with Nathan anymore, only when they had to go to the station for a police business. Nathan was ignoring everyone who cared for him, closing himself off from any human contact possible. He was still doing his job at the station, and he didn't look like he was pained with grief after these months, but people were worrying. And when people worry in this town, it's no good.

"Nathan, open up, I know you're home." Duke sighed and tried again. "Nathan. What's wrong with you?" He rested his head against the oak door and kept on talking, hopefully not just at the door and empty space, "I know you're angry and sad about Audrey, but come on man, you've got to start living again!"

Townspeople had started bugging Duke the last few weeks. _Weren't you childhood friends? You should talk to him, get him to his senses!_ As if _he_, Duke Crocker, the man whoes guts Nathan used to hate can get him to open up. The man's more likely to eat ten fluffy cupcakes than do that. But alas, he was getting tired of the nagging and came to the conclusion he agreed. If anyone could get that sour puss to talk or show some emotions – anger at Duke being the highest possibility- , it was going to be him. He was the one that used to get the most out of Nathan, even if they were almost always negative reactions, it was one.

"Natha.." the door creaked open and Duke sucked in some breath, he was not expecting for Nathan to actually open up. He had been pounding on this exact door for the third time today and finaly got a reply.

"What do you want?" Nathan looked exhausted, as if he had been running around all day. Which was impossible because from what he had heard he had been sitting at his desk from nine till late.

"I, I mean the town, we're worried Nathan."

"Worried?"

"Uh yeah worried" Duke exaggerated his sentence with too much sarcasm, but Nathan wouldn't understand it otherwise with that haze that seemed to hang in front of his eyes. "Look man, you've been acting like a zombie all over town, talking to no one unless you have to, no one sees you anymore, unless they are at the police station. What's wrong? Is.. is Audrey's death still this heavy for you to handle?" he looked intensely at Nathan to see if something showed when he said Audrey's name, but nothing..

"Why do you even care what's going on with me Duke, and no it's not..well, no not Audrey's fault. Not precisely anyway."

"Then what is it?"

"Never mind, goodbye Duke." He was about to shove the heavy door back into the lock, but Duke's combat boot was neatly put in between.

"You're not getting rid of me now that I know that there IS something going on, and I got access to your house!" he put his hand against the oak door and Nathan gave way by letting the door go. "Look, it's just that since Audrey came to Haven, we seem to have gotten more friendly you know? It's something I don't just want to throw away, okay?"

"Because it's pretty useful to have a cop friend?" Nathan snickered with no emotion at all tracing it.

Only now, with the door wide open did Duke notice all the lights were dimmed to almost out. The man in front of him was only slightly visible in the darkness of the house. "Why so gloomy Wuornos? And no, not this time. This time I actually would like to keep things unprofessional, as in, actual friends." He scratched behind his ear, feeling slightly uncomfortable now that he was inside. "Could we get a light on, perhaps?"

"Sure, do whatever you want. Just don't go putting anything in my back. You know I feel that these days."

"Nathan, Nathan, we were kids, when are you going to let that one go?"

A light flickered on and Nathan squeezed his eyes, obviously he had been sitting in the dark for a long time already.

"I will let it go when you become unable to feel anything and I can have a chance to put everything I find in your back, Crocker."

"Oh nice, last name basis is it? Well, Wuornos, I'm feeling everything however so no pinsticking please. You know very well that the troubles have ended for good now, with Audrey's sacrifice and all…" he sighed thinking back about how it all had been Audrey that was responsible for the troubles.

The poor girl got cornered once people started to put one and one together, telling her to leave the town. But she knew she couldn't just leave, she knew she would be send back again and again and again, so she did the only thing she thought was reasonable. She shot herself.

Every trouble seized to exist, a thought that made Duke think again, _every trouble_. "Nathan? Are you not going out anymore because you can feel again? It doesn't sound very logical, but is it?"


End file.
